The Heat of Magic
by sandra.barret
Summary: Memories return and magic blankets Storybrooke, but is the curse truly broken? Emma and the town discover there is much much more to Regina's plans.
1. Chapter 1

Emma Swan sat on the edge of the hospital bed and held the hand of her son. "Henry, don't ever take a risk like that again."

The young boy gave her a weak smile. "It made you break the curse. Storybrooke is free."

She tossled his short brown hair. "Yeah, it's free, and yes you were right all along." Free, but where was Gold and what was in that potion he stole? And for that matter, where did Regina rush off to, now that Henry was safe? "Next time, try to find a less deadly way to make a beliver out of me, okay?"

Henry nodded. His eyes drooped shut, and Emma shifted to a side chair to let him sleep. He'd been through so much lately, too much for a kid. She leaned back in her chair to watch him sleep. "It gets better from here, buddy, I promise."

Regina felt the return of magic to Storybrooke from the tips of her knee-high boots to the top of her raven black hair. The first strand of her deeply woven spell was broken by Emma Swan, their savior. A spell broken and an evil queen destroyed, just as she'd planned. Too bad for Storybrooke that the evil queen was Maleficient. Regina had one less opponent to worry about now.

Memories were returning to feable minds all through the isolated Main town, memories that wouldn't even begin to help them prepare for the next level of her spell. She knew what Gold was up to as well. She depended on it as the one thing she couldn't do on her own. A vial of the essence of true love had eluded her for years. Now he had it, and she only had to wait.

A smile escaped Regina's tight control as she felt the tingle of power in her fingertips for the first time in 28 years. "Welcome back, old friend. Shall we go introduce you to the neighbors?" She opened the front door of the palatial Mayor's manor and stepped outside to the cloudy Autumn afternoon. She raised her arms toward the sky. Dark clouds roiled overhead and as she dropped her arms in a quick motion, bolts of lightening crackled down to strike the old clock tower, the one Ms. Swan set into motion when she first invaded Storybrooke.

The clock face shattered and the tower burst into flame. Regina looked up into the sky, her sky, and laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma woke up to Archie Hopper shaking her shoulder. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "What is it? Is Henry okay?" She glanced down at the hospital bed. Henry still slept on in the dim light.

"He's fine, " said Archie. "It's the rest of the town. They're going after the queen."

Emma's mind still fought off her much needed sleep. "Queen? What queen?"

"Regina. Emma, everyone's gotten their memories back."

That got Emma's attention. She looked up at the tweed-clad man hovering over her shoulder. "So you remember that you were a..."

He smiled. "A cricket, yes. Though not a Storybrooke kind of cricket." His smile faded. "For all that Regina controlled us here, that's nothing compared to what she did before Storybrooke. Sherrif, she needs your protection. I'm afraid of what might happen if you don't stop them."

Emma stood and stretched. Her back snapped, providing relief from the awkward position she slept in. "Who's leading them? Gold?"

"No, your parents, Snow White and the prince."

Emma cringed. That was going to take some getting used to. "Mary Margret wouldn't hurt a fly."

Archie shook his head. "You didn't know her before Storybrooke. She spent a long time as a fugitive from the Queen. She knows her way with a weapon, and so does the prince. He put the Queen under a death sentence once before."

That jolted Emma into action. "Where are they headed?"

"The mayor's house."

She stuffed her arms in her brown leather jacket. "Stay here with Henry for me?"

"Yes, of course."

Emma raced out the hospital room door, fishing her Sheriff badge out of her pocket and clipping it on as she went.

#

Regina leaned against the white column on her front porch as she waited for the crowd to approach. It would be so easy to give them the taste of fear they so rightly deserved, but she bided her time. David Nolan led the crowd with his pathetic sword in hand. Snow White was at his side. Twenty eight years had done nothing to dull her hatred of that false mask of sweetness that woman hid behind. Power tingled in her fingertips and she clenched them into fists to keep control. "You don't control this little play anymore, sweetie."

The crowd pushed through the front yard gate, the obvious ones in front, Ruby, her shotgun toting grandmother, the dwarves of course.

David of course presented himself first. "Your curse is broken. Your power here is over."

Regina scanned the crowd but didn't see the one person she wanted to see. She glanced down. "Since when does Storybrooke let former mental patients run around town with sharp swords. Our dear Sheriff might have a harsh word or two for you, David."

"Leave my daughter out of this," Snow shouted over David's shoulder.

Such craven behavior. Perhaps the years in Storybrooke stripped her of any real courage after all. Not that it mattered. Leaving Emma Swan alone was not possible.

Regina took a step forward and David lifted his sword up. "Really David, after all this time, are we back to this?" She stepped off her patio and walked until his sword tip rested on the button of her black blazer. He didn't waiver. He never did understand the true scope of her powers.

"Drop the sword!"

Regina grinned. She saw the top of a blond head parting through the crowd until both David and Snow stepped back. "Good to see you, Sheriff. There seems to be some confusion here this evening. Perhaps you can remedy the situation."

Snow stepped forward, finally leaving David's shadow to stand between Regina and Emma. That protective instinct was what would ensure Snow's downfall in this next phase of the curse.

Emma took a step around Snow to grab David's sword hand. "I mean it, drop the sword."

Regina put her hand to her heart. "You are quite in the business of saving people lately, Ms. Swan. I do think the role suits you."

Emma turned flashing eyes at her and Regina had to stop herself from taking a step back. "Something has changed in you," she murmured, soft enough that only Emma could here.

Emma paused, confusion written in her expression until the grumbling of the crowd broke their eye contact.

David lowered his arm just barely. "This isn't a Storybrooke matter, Emma. This is between me and the Queen."

Emma took another step forward until her arm brushed against Regina's. A heat between them shimmered in the magical sphere, visible to only those with power. Regina glanced up to see Ruby's eyes widen. Of course the werewolf would notice, but no one else did. Regina stepped back, forcing a wider separation from Emma to hide that telltale sign. Something in deed had changed about Ms. Swan, something she needed more time to unravel.

"I am the prince and I'm responsible for protecting my people from the evil Queen." David glared once more at Regina.

Regina laughed. "You're no prince, you never were."

"Shut up," Snow shouted. "You have no authority here."

"Oh, but I do." Regina raised her arms, and everyone but Emma took a step backward. She grinned and waved at them. "I am Mayor of Storybrooke, a position you all voted me into."

"That doesn't matter," said David.

Emma shook her head. "Yes it does. This isn't your fairy tale land. This is Storybrooke, and she is the Mayor." Emma pushed David's sword arm lower. "and I am the Sheriff. I protect all of our citizens, and there will be no retribution for what's happened on other lands occuring here in Storybrooke."

Oh, yes there will, Ms. Swan. Regina thought to herself. Oh yes there will.


	3. Chapter 3

The gaggle of Fairy Tale misfits dispersed from Regina's front lawn, a snippy little Snow White the last go. From the protection of David's shadow, she gave Regina one last glare, and saved a confused frown for Emma, her daugher, before she left.

Emma ran her hands through her long, blond hair before she turned to Regina. "We need to talk."

Regina waved toward her front door. "After you, Sheriff."

She followed Emma through the main foyer, wondering which way Emma would head. To her slight disappointment, they were heading to the Mayor's office. She lay a hand on Emma's elbow. The aura of magic did not reappear. "Perhaps you would be more comfortable in the living room? I don't think you've had a chance to go home yet, have you?"

Emma still wore the same maddeningly distracting tight pants. She rubbed her hands across her eyes. "Yeah, you're right."

The tired look bothered Regina more than she wanted to admit. She excused herself and returned a few minutes later with a tray of tea and biscuits to find Emma curled up in the corner of her white sofa, gently snoring. She put down the tray and stood over Emma, the tingle of magic at her fingertips.

"So simple. One quick spell and I'd be rid of a rival. Snap, and Henry is mine again! Wouldn't that just break Snow's heart. Discovery her long lost child and lose her the same day."

Emma rolled and opened her eyes. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

Regina stepped back and settled in the arm chair. "Nothing of importance, Ms. Swan, nothing of importance." She gestured to the tray. "Some tea?"

"Thanks." Emma sat up and reached for a buscuit. Her hand stopped half way.

Regina reached for the same buscuit and took a bite. "See, quite safe."

"Can you blame me, after what you put Henry through."

Regina crushed the buscuit in her hand. "That was never meant for Henry."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better? Why wouldn't you try that trick again?"

Why indeed. Regina brushed the crumbs off her lap and back to the tray. "Let's just say things are different now."

"Because the curse is broken."

#

Emma watched Regina warily as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. Her black skirt rode up to expose a well shaped leg above high black boots. She shifted her gaze quickly before she got caught staring. "We need to talk about Henry."

Regina's gaze darkened. "Legally, Henry is mine. That hasn't changed."

"And ethically, he belongs with me."

Regina laughed. "Ethically? After all you've heard about me, as Mayor and Queen. What makes you think ethics has any place in my life?"

"You said it yourself, things have changed." Emma took a leap of faith bigger than when she followed Regina's and Gold's directions to save Henry. She grabbed a biscuit and rammed it in her mouth before she lost the courage.

Regina lifted one graceful black eyebrow. "Show of bravado?"

"Show of faith," she said over the remnants of biscuit. "Look, I just want to say it took the two of us to save him. Maybe it's time we worked together for what's best for him, instead of for us."

Regina tapped her graceful fingers on her thigh for a long time before answering. "Yes, things have changed, you have changed."

Emma shrugged. "Not as much as everyone else around here."

The front door boomed. Once, twice. The third time, the door exploded in splinters of wood that blew across the floor in a burst of wind and rain. Regina jumped out of her chair and Emma followed.

#

Regina stared at the dark figure silluette in the remnants of a doorway. She recognized the lean, and the cane. "Most guests wait for someone to open the door, Mr. Gold."

He limped forward. "Twenty eight years, Regina. I've waited twenty eight years."

"Blame your intrepid Savior. Was I to know she would take that long?"

"You kept Belle from me for twenty eight years," he said, still making his way through the foyer.

She felt the menace of power surrounding him as he approached. "I kept everyone from everyone. That's why they called it a curse."

"And you think it's not over yet, but it is."

His words suggested he guessed the other layers of her spell were in tact. The twisted little man always knew too much.

Emma stepped out of the living room to Regina's side. "What's going on? Who's Belle?"

Regina held an arm in front of her. "Stay out of this. It has nothing to do with you."

Emma pushed past. "When someone blows up a door in Storybrooke it damn well is my business. You and I need to have a little talk in my office, Mr. Gold."

"She told you to stay out of it Miss Swan!" Gold raised his cane. A nexus of power gathered at the tip and shot out.

"No!" Regina reacted without thinking. She pulled Emma down and lifted her arms to protect them both. She bore the brunt of Gold's spell, syphoning off the magic until the power diminished and faded. She felt sick to her stomach from the effort, but not too sick to miss that glow of magic that lingered where her body touched Emma's.

She looked up and saw Gold's eyes glued to Emma as well. "Get out of my house, toad man."

He lowered his cane and glanced between Regina and Emma, who was slowly rising from the floor. His anger faded to a sardonic smile. "Well, that was unexpected. Most unexpected."

Regina felt more drained than she expected. He really was going to kill Emma Swan out of hand. "Get the hell out!"

He inclined his head once, and then turned, that tell tale smile still on his face. He tapped his way back out the ruined doorway. Regina had seen that expressions before and it didn't bode well for her or Emma.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma sat up off the floor, trying to ignore how close she was to Regina. "What the hell was that?"

Regina stood up and dusted off her blazer. "That, Ms. Swan, is the real threat to Storybrooke, Rumplestilskin with his full power restored."

"Magic is back." Emma flexed her fingers, tempted to put a hand on her gun, but she guessed that wouldn't be much help against Regina if she chose to use her magic. Another idea came to mind. "Is he more powerful than you?"

Regina lifted one well formed eyebrow. "He taught me magic. That said, the student frequently out does the master."

Not really a glowing statement of superiority. Storybrooke changed a lot with the curse broken, more than she understood. Henry was her main source of fairy tale knowledge, but now she needed some better information. She stood up. "You want me to send someone over to block up that doorway?"

Regina glanced at the mess. "That won't be necessary. I have my own resources."

That didn't sound good either. How many evil minions did an evil queen need to make a mess out of her town? "Okay then. I need to go and see what state the town is in."

"Ms. Swan, take my advice and stay clear of Mr. Gold for now. And get some rest."

Emma did feel drained, but did it show that much? She just nodded and stepped out of the remnants of Regina's front door. Gold wasn't on her list just yet. Her first visit would be to check up on Henry. Then she needed to have a good long talk with her parents. If she could stay awake that long.

#

Regina tossed a spell at the doorway to seal it for the night. Then she sank back into her sofa to think. The scent of Emma's perfume lingered on the pillow. Regina tossed it to the other chair. It was a distraction she could not afford at the moment. The first phase of the curse was broken and that meant the second phase was already in motion. The question was, how much did Gold know, and what would he do about it?

Then there was the enigma of Emma Swan. Regina's wasn't the only power used to deflect Gold's spell. On some instinctual level, Emma joined with her to protect them both. "Ever the Savior."

Emma had magic. Worse than that, Gold knew. How he would twist that knowledge was anyone's guess. Regina brushed a stray lock of hair from her eyes. She was as tired as Emma must be, but at least she knew why. Still, there was Gold to deal with before she could rest. She needed a distraction. A cold smile lifted her lips.

She reached for the phone and punched in a number. "Hello. You and I need to talk. I have a little job in mind for you that I think you'll find most interesting."


	5. Chapter 5

Emma rested her head on the steering wheel of her car. She could fall asleep right there. She rubbed her eyes. "Maybe I need to start taking vitamins or something."

She pushed herself out of the car. She had one last task before she'd let herself rest. She needed information. She got out of the car and dragged herself indoors. Loud voices spilled into the hallway as she approached the apartment she shared with Mary Margaret. She fumbled her key out and unlocked the door to step inside.

Mary Margaret leaned back against the counter with her hands clasped. "This is our home now, David. We've all been here for twenty-eight years."

"I haven't. I was in a coma, remember? And don't call me David. You used to call me Charming." He folded his arms and glowered down at Mary Margret.

"You don't sound charming right now," said Mary Margaret in a petulant voice that grated even on Emma's ears from the doorway.

Emma stepped inside.

They both rushed to her. "Are you okay?" David asked.

Mary Margaret crushed her in a smothering hug. "Thank God you're safe. Stay away from that evil queen."

Emma freed herself and stepped away to hide the anger she felt rising inside her. "She's not evil and she's not a queen, at least not here in Storybrooke."

"Don't underestimate her," David said. "Even without her magic she's dangerous and a menace to us all."

Emma swallowed hard. "Yeah, about that. Well, seems with the spell broken, it's not just your memories that are back. Magic is back, too."

David slapped a hand to his hip as if he expected a sword there. Looking at his puzzled expression, he probably did.

Mary Margaret slid back in to his shadow. "We need to stop her!"

"WE need to calm down," Emma said. "SHE didn't do anything. It's Gold who is whipping out spells like they are candy treats. I need you two to fill me in on what he's capable of and what's the real story with the two of them."

"She's the one we have to worry about," said Mary Margaret. "She's wanted me dead for years."

"They are both dangerous," David said, settling a distraught Mary Margaret into a chair. "The queen at least is straighforward. You know she wants to destroy you and that's what she tries to do."

"Straightforward? Like that's somehow good that she wants me dead?"

David glared at Mary Margaret. "Yes, at least we know what to expect. Gold twists things around. He makes these deals and you think you're safe, until it's time to pay up."

Mary Margaret crossed her arms. "He doesn't make you pay with your life, though, does he?"

"No, just with our first-born child!" David shouted.

Seeing the two of them fight disturbed Emma, even if she wasn't prepared to think of them as her parents. "Guys, focus. We have two people with powerful magic. Give me some idea what I can expect, okay?"

"You can expect all hell to break loose," said David.

Emma sat still as they each recounted stories of Regina's power in action, enough to scare the crap out of Emma. How could she protect Henry and the town against someone like that?

#

Dr. Whale sat stiffly on the edge of Regina's sofa. His posture lost its casual American style, replaced with the aristocratic air of nobility from his real upbringing. His borish frown didn't fool her though, as his eyes darted nervously around the room.

"We share a mutual interest Dr. Whale," she said.

"And what's that?"

"Neither of us want to let go of the past." For Regina, that wasn't as true as it had been when she set the curse in motion. Then, she was solely interested in revenge against Snow White. Now, her desires were more complicated.

"I'm not following you," he said.

Regina smiled. "I'll make it simple. You want your brother back. I can help you."

He sneared at her, but his eyes brightened. "I tried before and it didn't work. Magic comes with a price, that's what ...he said."

Regina noted his fear of Gold. This would work out well for both of them. "He only had one heart for you to test with. I, on the other hand, have a rather more extensive collection."

"So? My brother's not here, or didn't you notice. Your curse left him behind."

_Hard to curse the dead, Dr. Frankenstien._ "One problem at a time. Your first experiment with one of the special hearts was only a partial success. With practice, perhaps you can improve on that."

He shifted to the edge of the sofa, staring into the distance. "Yes, yes you're right." He glanced back at her. "But where would I get a well-preserved body?"

She widened her cold smile. "Let me worry about that detail, Mr. Whale."


	6. Chapter 6

Emma kept her head under the pillow until her new-found parents left the apartment. They'd kept their bickering to a whisper, but that didn't help much in the tiny apartment. She hadn't heard that much arguing since she walked out on her last foster family. If Mary Margaret and David were the face of true love, Emma did hold much faith in it.

She rolled out of bed and changed her wrinkled wife-beater to a fresher, less wrinkled one, and pulled on a blue turtleneck sweater and jeans. She wolfed down the muffin Mary Margaret habitually left for her on the kitchen counter. What was a odd but kind roommate gesture suddenly felt like an over-eager mother-smother, but Emma wasn't beyond ignoring that awkwardness for the sake of filling her belly.

Wrapped in her red leather jacket, she headed out to door. First stop - Gold's shop. The streets were as active as usual for Storybrooke, with at least one fender-bender and shouting match on a side street. Let someone else deal with that. She had the safety of the town to consider.

Five minutes later she was in front of Gold's shop, checking the ammo in her pistol. What a full clip could do against magic, she had no idea, but she rammed it into her holster anyway. With luck, she would just have a quiet talk with the man.

The bell rang as she stepped into the shop. A dark-haired young woman she'd never met before stood behind the counter, dusting off the merchandise. She turned and smiled. "Good Morning."

"Ah, hello. I'm looking for Mr. Gold."

A side door opened. "And you've found him," said Gold. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Sherriff?"

"Rumple," said the woman. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

A smile creased his face that almost seemed genuine. "Of course. Sherrif Swan, this is Belle."

"Belle, as in storm the mayor's house and blast her door, Belle?" Emma took a long look at the woman. Was it possible someone actually cared for Gold? She wondered who else would pop up as someone's long lost girlfriend or boyfriend. She pushed aside the thought of who Regina might have waiting in the wings.

Belle stood in front of Gold with a frown and a pout that would have made Emma laugh if she didn't see how serious he was taking it. "Rumple, what did you do?"

He patted Belle's arm. "Nothing, dear. I lost my temper for a moment." He turned to Emma. "Please give my sincere apologies to the Mayor."

"And he'll pay for the damage," Belle added.

Gold nodded. "Of course. Belle, I need to discuss some sensitive matters with the Sherriff. Would you excuse us for a moment?"

Sensitive matters? Emma swallowed a lump in her throat, hoping Belle's presence wasn't the only thing keeping her safe as Belle left the front room with a curious glance back at Emma. _Don't worry, kid. He's definitely not my type_.

"We should discuss a few things, Sherriff, an important change here in our town."

"Magic, you mean?" she asked.

His eyes widened a bit. "Regina told you? I find that surprising."

"You blasted the door and us with magic. It wasn't hard to miss that the two of you have your powers back."

He smirked. "Ah, she didn't tell you. Tell me Sherriff, are you tired?"

"Yeah, but what's that got to do with your magic?"

"My magic? Very little, but it has everything to do with your magic."

Emma laughed. "Oh, I have magic now, do I? I'd think with the arguments I've seen around town the past day, if everyone suddenly had magic, there'd be a lot more sparks or flames or whatever flying around."

"Not everyone, just you. Let me show you." He lifted his hand and a blue flame appeared. He threw it at Emma.

It came too fast to do anything but raise an arm to protect her face. A yellow glow eminated from her and swallowed Gold's ball of flame. "What the hell?"

"Indeed, Sherriff. When Regina defended you last night, and might I say that was very gallant of her, your powers joined with hers. Thus your tired state today. Magic, as we say, comes, with a price, deary."

Emma took a step back as her universe tilted out of control. Magic? She looked at her arm, but it looked the same to her. She couldn't grasp that. She latched on to something else he said. "Regina?"

"Saved you, yes. I find that almost as interesting as your new magical abilities."

"Why would she do that?"

His smile grew ever more enigmatic. "That deary, is a mystery I don't believe even she knows, yet."

That 'yet' meant he knew, but wasn't going to share. Emma returned to her original purpose as the only sane thing she could handle right now. "Between the two of you, you need to keep your magical tantrums under control. There may not be any law here about magic, but the damage to people and property is still against the law, no matter how you do it."

He bowed slightly, "Of course. Might I offer my services to you. I have a rather good track record when it comes to teaching those with magic how to use it."

"How to become evil you mean, no thanks." She backed toward the door while she had some semblence of reality left to cling to.

"It's not the magic that's evil, Sherriff, it's what you choose to do with it."

"I'll keep that in mind." She pushed out the door and hoped her hasty retreat didn't look like the mad dash for safety it really was. Her heartbeat didn't stop its rapid pounding until she was half way to the hospital to look in on Henry.

#

Regina took the empty bowl from Henry and placed it back on the hospital tray. "Glad to see your appetite is good."

He polished off his cup of milk and handed the cup to her. "The poison turnover didn't taste bad."

Regina cringed. "You shouldn't have eaten it, especially if you knew what it was. I thought I raised you smarter than that."

"I had to to break the curse. She wouldn't believe me."

"Yes, and a spell that would have put her to sleep for a time nearly killed you." She took his small hand in hers. "Magic is back in Storybrooke, Henry. I need you to understand the dangers. Do not put yourself at risk like that again. There are some things even I can't protect you against."

"You won't do that again, right? The thing with the apple?" he asked. "I mean the curse is broken, so you don't have to hate Emma anymore."

Regina brushed the hair out of his eyes and sighed. "I don't hate Ms. Swan."

"Glad to hear it!" The hospital room door slid shut behind Emma as she stepped in.

"Emma!" Henry threw his arms wide and captured Emma in the kind of hug he never greeted Regina with. She might not hate Emma, but she had every reason to.

"Ms. Swan," she said, crossing her arms to give her empty hands something to do.

"Mayor. Sorry to interrupt. Just wanted to stop in and say Hi to Henry."

Regina stood. "Not an issue. I was just leaving." Not really, but she didn't need to have her face rubbed in the fact that Henry preferred Emma's company to the mother who raised him for the past 11 years.

She leaned over and kissed his head. "I'll come back at lunchtime to check on you."

"Actually, I'm not staying either," said Emma. "Sorry, kid, but the town's kind of a mess."

"Yeah, broken curse," he said.

Emma grinned. "Something like that." She turned to Regina. "I'll walk out with you."

"As you wish." Regina stepped out the door, not bothering to hold it open. Emma was right behind her, though, so the slight was a wasted effort. "Something on your mind, Ms. Swan?"

"Lot's of things. I was heading to Granny's for coffee. How about I buy you a cup and we can talk."

"Generous of you, but I'll buy my own, thank you." She led the way down the block and around the corner. They passed one argument and a fist fight between dwarves that Emma stepped in the middle of, against Regina's recommendation. They made it to Granny's with Emma sporting a new shiner on her left eye.

Ruby rushed over to them before they got settled in a booth. "Emma, what happened?" She glared at Regina but didn't voice the accusation in her eyes.

"LeRoy has a mean right hook," Emma said. "Can I get some ice?"

"Sure thing. And your regular?"

"Yeah. And whatever the Mayor wants, on me." Emma smirked at Regina, and winked her one good eye.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Tall black, to go."

"No cream or sugar?" Emma asked. "Latte, mocha?"

"No, Ms. Swan. I prefer black."

"So I see." She waved her hand at Regina's black blazer and fitted slacks.

Regina ignored her and turned to Ruby. "The ice pack?"

Ruby turned on her extra high heels and clicked off into the kitchen in a huff.

Emma gingerly touched her eye. "Ow. Who knew he could hit so hard?"

"They are dwarves, Ms. Snow. Of course they are going to hit hard. Now what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Lots of things - Henry, magic, the town."

"In any particular order?" A shouting match was starting in the kitchen. Regina hid a smirk when Emma turned to the noise.

"Everyone's so testy today," Emma said, turning back. "You'd think they'd be happy, having a party or something."

Ruby came back with a dark expression, dropped the two coffees and a bag of ice on the table and stomped back into the kitchen to continue her argument with Granny.

"Mixing Storybrooke memories with a prior life's worth of memories takes some time to adapt, one would imagine." Regina blew on her coffee before taking her first sip.

"One would imagine," Emma repeated. "Why'd you do it, Regina? What did you get out of it?"

She eyed Emma over the rim of her steaming cup. "Freedom."

Emma slapped the bag of ice over her sore eye. "Freedom? You want to elaborate on that one?"

"No, I do not. You wanted to discuss Henry?"

Emma sighed. "Fine, yeah. Henry. I know, legally, he's yours. But emotionally, he's attached to both of us, and us to him."

Regina smirked. "Emotional argument now, not moral. You learn quickly, Ms. Swan."

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, can we work something out, here? A time share deal or something."

Regina put down her cup. "My son is not a vacation condominium."

"You know what I mean. Let's do something so he's not sneaking off, like you know he will as soon as he's out of that hospital bed."

She picked up her cup, again. "I'll take that under advisement. What else did you want to discuss?"

The kitchen argument spilled into the front counter, raising the overall noise volume. Emma winced. "Let's take these outside. It's getting too hard to think in here."

Granny and Ruby didn't pause a breath in their shouting when Regina and Emma stepped outside. Regina hid a smile behind her cup. The second phase of the curse was well established. A few more days of this kind of fighting, and even if Gold or Emma found a way to break this spell, the damage would be done. No more fairy tale endings for anyone.

"Does it bother you?" Emma asked.

"Sorry, does what bother me?"

Emma pointed up ahead, where Archie gave her a little wave and smile, passed a scared glance at Regina, and crossed the street before their paths crossed. "That."

"Power comes with a price, with or without magic."

"Still, it's got to hurt, that kind of reaction all the time. Was it all worth it?"

Regina lifted one perfect eyebrow. "My alternatives were limited, Ms. Swan. My mother killed my lover, forced me into a loveless marriage with a man so besotted with his first wife, I'd never had a hope of finding love, even if I was inclined to try."

"Not your type?" Emma asked.

"You could say that. Who was to say whether my mother wouldn't have decided it was too much trouble manipulating a kingdom through me and just make herself queen instead."

Emma nodded. "Over your dead body."

"Now you begin to understand some of the unstated complexities. Power was not my goal, it was my lifeline." Regina didn't like the direction of this conversation. Her past was one of the things she enjoyed leaving behind with the curse. Now that freedom was gone, and she was back to fear and schemes to destroy her. "You had questions about this town and magic?"

Emma swallowed a gulp of coffee. "Yeah. Like, what are your intentions now. I know you've got your powers back."

Regina studied her before answering. The defiant expression was expected, the slight evidence of fear was, frankly, disappointing for reasons she didn't really want to investigate. "I meant what I said at the hospital. I don't hate you."

"And I meant what I said. I am gald to hear it. What about everyone else here?"

"They are my problem, not yours."

"I'm still the sherriff. And you're not the only magic in town."

"I can handle Gold."

Emma stopped and crossed her arms. "He's not the only magic in town either."

"I see. You've discovered your new talent. Congratulations, Ms. Swan."

"Actually, no. Mr. Gold pointed it out to me."

Regina frowned. "After I warned you away from him. You and Henry share a frightening disregard for my advice. Given this new world of magic that neither of you are prepared for, I suggest you both reconsider that tendancy. I have no reason to harm you, and every reason to protect my son. Perhaps you can talk to him about that during one of your timeshare visits."

"Thanks. For considering that, with Henry."

"I need to get to the office. And you have a town to straighten up. " Regina sighed and stared out at the cloudy morning sky. "We've no cause to be adversaries any more Ms. Snow. This isn't the Wild West, and we aren't magical gunslingers meeting at dusk at the crossroads for rights to this town." She turned to Emma. "And, no offense, but you're no match for me anyway."

"Not yet, but I've gotten one offer so far to teach me."

A rush of fear and anger boiled in Regina, heating her cheeks. "You don't know what his motives are. He taught my mother. When that didn't help him, he taught me. Now he wants you. Ask yourself why?"

Emma shrugged. "To get back at you for that curse?"

Regina laughed. "The curse he guided me on, every step of the way, you mean?" She left out her own adaptations, which Gold likely was discovering for himself. "Magic comes with a price, Ms. Snow. As for Gold, try to remember, they don't call him the Dark One for nothing."


	7. Chapter 7

Emma took Henry away from the shouting match between David and Mary Margaret that was a nightly event in the apartment now. "How is that true love," she grumbled as she hustled Henry into her yellow VW bug.

"It's not how it's supposed to be," Henry said, wrapping his jacket closed over his pajamas. "In the book, they always find each other and are happy. I don't know what's wrong."

_Maybe true love's just in fairy tales, kid. _Emma kept her cynicism to herself as she drove the dark streets of Storybrooke. "Sorry to cut your visit short, kid. But there's only so much shouting I can handled."

"You're taking me back home?"

She cringed. "Yeah. At least your mom doesn't yell."

"No, she just curses a lot."

Emma shot him a quick glance, but he was smiling. "One curse is enough for this town."

"Where will you sleep?" he asked.

"There's always a bunk at the sheriff's office." She ran her fingers through her hair. "A shower too."

They pulled up in front of the well-lit Mayoral mansion and got out. She would have rung the door bell but Henry already had his key out and unlocked the front door. So much for any privacy the mayor might have wanted this evening.

"Mom!" he shouted on his way in.

Regina emerged from the living room in an outfit more casual than anything Emma had seen her in before. Not that she memorized the mayor's extensive wardrobe or anything. But seeing the ever-formal mayor in black leggings and oversized gray hooded sweatshirt was not an every-day sight.

"Henry?" she said, accepting his quick hug with a pat to his head.

"Sorry, Mayor. I should have called first."

"No need to aplogize Ms. Swan. Henry is always welcome at home. Please, come in."

Henry took himself off to bed. Even a rambunctious boy had his limits tested when recovering from one of Regina's spells. Still, the silver lining to his sacrifice was a town free of the curse, and a sort of detente between her and Regina that allowed her some informal visitation rights with Henry. The kid was in heaven with that.

Emma followed Regina into the posh living room. A spattering of offical paperwork lay on the coffe table. "Mayor's work is never done, eh?"

"Excuse me? Oh, the paperwork, yes. This town doesn't run itself."

"I bet."

"So, why did you bring Henry back, if I may ask?" Regina's expression held only minor curiosity.

"The happy couple are at it again," Emma said.

A certain coldness came over Regina's expression, along with a sardonic smile. "How unpleasant for you."

"Yeah. For Henry, too. He has enough to deal with from his own moms fighting. He doesn't need to see them at it as well."

Regina lifted an eyebrow. "Two moms. Is that how you see us?"

Emma studied Regina's face, but couldn't grasp what direction Regina's question came from. She shrugged it off. "Well, he has the two of us, and at least we keep things civil. Most of the time."

"Most of the time."

Emma shifted from foot to foot, reluctant to leave, but not coming up with a good enough excuse to stay. "Well, guess I should let you get back to your paperwork."

Regina glanced down at the cluttered coffee table. "Yes. I would hire an assistant, but who could I trust?"

Emma sighed. "Yeah, who to trust." Wasn't that just the dilema of the hour. Henry was young and naïve, her parents were catfighting nutballs along with the rest of the town. That left Gold and Regina, two sides of the same magical coin, both accusing the other of being the real threat to Storybrooke. "Who to trust," she mumbled.

Regina turned back to her with a frown. "Excuse me, Ms. Swan?"

"Oh, sorry. Mind's wandering. Good night, Mayor."

Regina walked her to the door. "Sleep well, Sherrif."

Emma walked back to her car, almost convinced the Mayor actually meant that. She really needed to figure out which side was the safer side of that magical coin... if there was a safe side.

#

Regina shut the door and leaned against it, letting out a slow sigh. There was no denying it - Emma Swan complicated things, and not just because she was Henry's biological mother.

"Mom?"

Regina stood up. "Henry? I thought you were going to bed?"

He hopped down the stairs and sat on the bottom step. "I wanted to ask you something first?"

"Well?"

"You know Emma has magic now, right?"

She raised one eyebrow. "She told you that, did she?"

He nodded. "But she can't do anything with it. I was hoping you could teach her?"

"Me? I don't think that would be wise, dear. Why would she even trust me to do that?" Was that why Emma was mumbling about trust earlier? She leaned down to stare eye to eye with her son. "Did you already discuss this with Ms. Swan?"

His eyes widened. "Does that mean you'll do it?"

"What? No." She saw the hurt in his eyes. "Henry, magic is a very personal thing. Even if I wanted to teach her, what makes you think she would trust me?"

"I trust you," he said. "And she trusts me."

"It's not that simple, dear."

"But it could be. Just invite her over for dinner. I'll be the referee to make sure it's all good magic. " He gave her that wicked grin that meant he knew he just won the argument.

The sound of her phone ringing brought Regina back to the work at hand. "Go to bed, Henry."

"You'll invite her?"

"To bed." She stepped back into the living room and picked up the phone on the third ring. It wasn't until Henry disappeared at the top of the stairs that she actually focused on the caller. "Yes, Dr. Whale, I've been expecting your call. Have you set up the appropriate...facilities for your work?"


	8. Chapter 8

"Ruby, it's just a dinner invitation, and it was Henry's idea." Emma sat at the counter of a nearly deserted Granny's diner. After two days and nights of shouting matches throughout the town, she was glad for the quiet.

Ruby leaned on the counter, as if there was anyone around to overhear her. "It's never that simple with her, and you know it. You didn't see the look on her face that first time your magic showed itself, but I did."

"She was just surprised I had magic. Hell, so am I."

Ruby snorted. "Trust me, that wasn't a look of shock."

Henry burst through the door in a blast of cold air, cutting short whatever Ruby was about to say. "Are you ready for a great night?"

She finished her coffee and stood up. "Free food and your great company, lead the way, kiddo."

"Emma," said Ruby.

"I'll be fine." She hid her nervousness behind her usual bravado. No one knew she was going for dinner and magic lessons. As she left Ruby, she wondered if that secrecy was such a good idea after all. She was putting a lot of faith in Regina behaving herself in front of their mutual son. A lot of faith.

#

Regina pulled the baked alaska out of the oven and tossed the oven mitts on the counter. Why did she let Henry talk her into this crazy idea? She was one dessert away from giving her first magic lesson.

"Can I help?"

Regina nearly dropped the plates she pulled from the cabinet. Emma was at her side in an instant, warm hands steadying her own. The jolt she felt had nothing to do with magic and Regina pulled away with an irritated jerk. "Forks are in the left drawer beside the sink."

She turned her back to Emma to get a grip on herself. "Are you sure you want to go through with this, Ms. Swan?"

"Dessert?"

Regina turned back with a cold glare.

Emma grinned. "Sorry. I joke when I'm nervous. If I have to learn about my magic, I'd rather learn from you than Mr. Gold."

"The lesser of two evils?" Regina handed her a full plate and took the other two.

"Maybe I prefer your company," Emma said with a wink.

Regina forced herself not to read too deeply into that statement as they sat down at her dinner table and finished dessert in relative silence. Even Henry kept his mouth full, but his eyes darted between them as if he were waiting for something bad to happen.

Regina had quite enough of that. "Let's lay down some expectations here. Henry convinced me it was in the town's best interest that you learn at least rudimentary control over your new abilities."

"You mean so I don't go blowing off people's front doors by accident," Emma said around a mouth full of ice cream.

"Because if I teach you, at least we don't need to worry about Mr. Gold's less scrupulous motivations."

Emma grinned, "Just your scrupulous ones."

Regina pushed away from the table. "Do you want this lesson from me or not Ms. Swan."

"I do want you, I mean, a lesson, from you, yes." Emma blushed. "Sorry, I'm rambling again."

Henry looked between the two of them. "You guys are weird. Can't you just start with something easy. Like blow out a candle or something?"

Regina waved her hand and a small flame floated to the center of the table.

"Show off," said Emma.

"Blow it out, Ms. Swan."

The smirk left Emma's face, replaced by a look of concentration that was almost comical. Regina was tempted to let her continue in that wasted effort, but she didn't have all night, and finding the limits of Emma's power was the real reason she agreed to this foolish idea. "Magic isn't something you squeeze out like your last answer on a crossword puzzle. You just do it."

She waved her hand and the flame blew out, waved again and it reappeared.

"Easy for you. You've had years of practice."

"Maybe hers is just a defensive magic," Henry piped in.

Regina flicked her hand and the flame shot down the length of the table. It met with a wall of golden light around Emma's upraised arms and dissipated.

"That was mean," she said. "What if it didn't work?"

"Magic is not for the timid. Besides, it was only an illusion. Henry is right though, your only natural trigger is defensive. You need to reach into that reaction and find a way to trigger it without that fight or flight instinct."

"How do I do that?"

"You need to feel the magic." Regina walked the length of the table. "Stand up."

Emma obeyed with her usual mistrusting glare. "Now what?"

"Now I'm going to surround you with my magic. Close your eyes and tell me when you can sense it."

Emma glanced at Henry then shut her eyes. Regina raise her hand in a slow arc around Emma, leaving a trail of purple mist in its wake that slowly drifted down on Emma's head. To her surprise, Emma blushed. "Well, Ms. Swan? Did you feel that?"

#

Emma's blush deepened. "Um, yeah. Can't really explain the feeling." More like she wouldn't, not in front of Henry anyway.

"Fine. See if you can wave your hand over me and recreate that feeling now."

Emma's eyes widened. "Seriously?" In front of their son?

Regina sighed. "I think I'm capable of protecting myself if you make a mistake, Ms. Swan."

Emma took a deep breath. "If you say so."

She concentrated on the feeling she got from Regina's magic, a sense that someone had gently stroked her hair and cheeks. She reached out and brushed the air in front of Regina. To her surprise, a golden light trailed from her hand to surround Regina for a moment like two hands cupping her face before it dissipated. Regina's eyes drifted shut for a moment and her lips parted in a silent gasp. When she opened them, Emma wondered if she looked as guilty as she felt, because she felt like she'd just caressed the Mayor's cheeks.

"Did it work?" Henry said.

Regina's hands lifted half way to her face before dropping ramrod straight at her sides. "Yes, it worked. Henry, please clear the table, dear. The Sherrif and I need to talk."

That didn't sound good. That didn't sound good at all.


	9. Chapter 9

Regina barely kept her temper in check until Henry left the room. Then she turned on Emma. "What the hell were you thinking? Pulling a stunt like that in front of a child?"

"Woah, keep it in check there Madame Mayor. All I did was copy what you did."

"You most certainly did not. All I did was through general magic like this." Regina tossed a ball of purple smoke at Emma, who swatted it away with a golden stab of light.

"That was nothing like what you did the first time," Emma said. "That one stung, by the way."

Regina folded her arms. "What do you mean it stung? Both of them were nothing more than illusions. There was no real power in either of them."

"Maybe not, but there was emotions, that's for sure."

Regina leaned back against the table. Emotions and magic? She shook her head. "I should have known, with your mother and father."

"Should have known what?"

"Prince Charming the hero and Snow White the tender? Your magic isn't just instinctively protective, it's empathic as well."

Emma leaned against the table next to Regina. "Empathic. So that last one stung because you were angry. And the time before that..."

"Was an anomaly that won't be repeated," Regina said.

"Too bad," Emma muttered. "So what do we do now?"

Regina stood up straight. "Now we explore what you can and cannot do." And keep feelings out of it. Regina had a long history of clamping down on her emotions. She'd just have to clamp down harder where Emma was concerned.

She kept the rest of the evening as professional as possible. By the end of the night, Emma was exhausted and neither of them had found a real limit to her magical abilities. Maybe Gold wasn't the only one Regina needed to worry about in this town.

#

David moved out of the apartment two days later, and Ruby moved in. Or really, Ruby dropped in after Granny booted her out and she had no place else to go.

"How are the magic lessons going?" Ruby asked, sitting across from Emma at the table.

Emma pushed her half-eaten bowl of cereal away and sighed. "It's hard to tell. I mean I'm learning things, but Regina is..." She didn't know how to finish that sentence.

"Regina is?" Ruby waved her hand, as if to prompt Emma to finish her thought.

"I don't know. Erratic, I guess. Some times I feel like we're almost civil. Hell, more than civil. Then she's like a brick wall again. Maybe it's something to do with the end of the curse. Everyone here has just gone nuts, why not our mayor."

"Not everyone. If have to see Belle and Gold strolling arm in arm one more time, I might puke." Ruby slurped the leftover milk from her own cereal bowl, something that had driven Granny nuts. Emma could see why, but she kept it to herself. Like everyone else, Ruby and Granny were at each others throats half the time.

"Okay except them."

"And you and Regina."

Emma glared at Ruby. "I never should have told you about that first magic lesson."

"But you did." Ruby pointed her spoon at Emma. "And let's face it, since the curse ended, you and Regina have been way more than civil with each other. Funny how only the people WITH magic seem to be happy these days."

Emma stared at Ruby while her mind played with that last statement. She pushed away from the table, nearly toppling her chair in the act. "Dammit Regina."

Ruby followed her to the door. "What? What did I say?"

Emma stuffed her arms in her red leather jacket. "Let's just say it's time to trust the werewolf's intuition."

"Damn right it is!" Ruby grinned. "Just wish I knew what I said."

Emma flew down the stairs, leaving Ruby to shut the apartment door. She had a mayor to visit.

#

Regina paced across the tiled floor in her office, a bluetooth earbud attached to her left ear. "Yes, Doctor. I do appreciate the intricacies of your experiment, but if you've succeeded, I fail to see why you haven't reported your results to me sooner."

"The procedure was a success," he said. "But it takes time to evaluate the results. I will not hasten the results with premature conclusions."

"Is the experiment conscious yet?"

He paused a moment too long and Regina already had her answer. "I suggest you let me see her, Doctor. I may be able to explain her situation better than you can."

"Regina, she's Mr. Gold's wife! I won't be held accountable for this situation. You chose the body."

"A body you were most eager to have, Doctor," Regina said. She paused in front of the window to see a yellow bug pull up in front and park at a bad angle. "You'll excuse me Doctor, but I have another matter I need to attend to. I expect to see Milah this evening. Good Day."

She disconnected the call just as the front door burst open and the voice of a certain irate Sheriff bellowed through the hall.

"I'm in here Ms. Swan." Regina straightened the collar of her white blouse and turned in time to see the fire flashing in Emma's eyes. "What was the expression you used for me the other day, Ms. Swan? 'Who pissed in your cornflakes' I believe was the phrase?"

"Very funny, Regina."

Emma stomped right up to Regina, her perfume surrounding them an a gentle scent of lavender. Regina inhaled with a slight smile lifting her lips. Setting the bait for Gold and a fight with Ms. Swan. The day was looking up already.

"Break the rest of it," Emma said in a low growl, her breath puffing out at Regina.

"Rest of what, dear." Regina took a reluctant step backward, but if she were going to do verbal battle with the Sheriff, she needed to step out of that near touching contact.

"The curse, Regina. I don't know how you did it. My little escapade a week ago might have brought back everyone's memories, but the curse is still intact."

Regina leaned back against her desk. "How can you say that, Ms. Swan? Everyone has found each other again."

"Yeah, right. Except no one has their happy endings anymore, do they?"

Regina glared back at her. "I'm not in the business of ensuring happy endings for this rabble." She stood up and walked around to her side of the desk, settling into the plush seat.

"But you are in the business of stomping on their happiness."

Regina slammed her fist on the desk. "You mean like they did to mine? Ms. Swan, I owe nothing to this town."

Emma pressed her hand to her forehead and took a deep breath. She leaned onto the desk, closing the distance between them again. "Regina, please. Haven't we all been through enough? Even you?"

Regina was taken aback. She was so used to every one assuming she had no feelings of her own, nothing worth caring about, and no one caring about her. "Is that coming from you, Ms. Swan, or your empathic magic?"

"What?"

"Never mind." She stood up and circled the desk again to stand next to Emma. "Yes, you surmised correctly. The curse isn't broken, not completely anyway."

"Then break the rest," Emma said. She reached out and enclosed Regina's hand in her own. "Or help me and we can break it together."

Emma's warmth covered Regina's hand. She stared into blue-green eyes and couldn't think for a moment. But reality, as usual, had a way of overcoming even that flicker of something more. She pulled her hand way, gently, reluctantly. "I'm sorry Ms. Swan. If it were that easy, I would almost be persuaded to help you."

"Almost?"

Regina gave her a sad smile. "The curse had two layers. One was the false memories and this town."

"And the other?"

Regina sighed. "The other was woven in with my own happy ending."

"I thought the curse was your happy ending?"

"For a time it was." Regina crossed her arms. "For ten years to be precise."

Emma frowned, then looked at Regina again. "Henry."

"Henry."

"But you still have Henry, so why not end the rest of the curse?"

Regina looked again into eyes that seemed to care, and yet stood in the path of her own happiness. "I don't still have him, do I?" she whispered.

"Because of me." Emma's hands dropped to her sides.


End file.
